Macro-Nutrients : The Secret To Fitness

It’s not a secret any more.

Fitness athletes, celebs, and every “fit” person you see has knowledge they use to stay healthy and fit. And that knowledge is no secret. It’s pure science, common sense, discipline and dedication. You see a fit body with curves but what you don’t see is the hard-work, tears, sweat and persistence needed to appear that way. Eating two peas and a few grains of rice is NOT what they are doing behind the screen , guys. Staying fit is a simple equation of balancing what your body needs (fuel aka food) and working out.

Working out (gym or home) burns fat, but the actual hard work takes place in the kitchen. Your body can not be transformed unless you feed it the raw materials it needs to make specific changes. Proper knowledge of food and eating can drastically change your body and keep it fit for a lifetime – unless crash dieting is your thing. Then you won’t need the tons of info you have here.

Macro’s are short for Macro-nutrients. Macro-nutrients are nutrients your body needs in large quantity. There are 3 sources of macro-nutrients : protein, carbohydrates and fats.

YOU NEED TO EAT RAW MATERIALS TO GIVE YOUR SELF THESE NUTRIENTS – raw materials meaning foods…not just any foods but clean foods. You may have seen this term (macros) used by fitness models and athletes on social media but not to worry! Here is what it really means.

For losing weight, gaining weight, staying fit etc, you need to balance your macro’s. A balanced way of eating mean your body gets exactly what it needs. Eating extra of anything causes you to gain fat. Gaining fat actually means your body is storing the extra food             -energy- for later use. So , to make sure fat is not being stored, you must eat exactly what your body need.

Dont Fuss About It

You dont have to be exact to the very dot. Take it easy and make sure you dont over-do or under-do any meal plan.

So how much macro’s do you need? That depends on the following:

• age
• weight
• height
• how active you are
• previous medical history

you can calculate your macros by simply using this formula     or speak to a knowledgable fitness coach / nutritionist to help you find your SPECIFIC NEEDS.

• protein : your body weight in pounds x 1
• carbs : your body weight in pounds x 1

Here  is a more reliable macro’s calculator that does the work for you. Now that you know how much nutrition you need DAILY, you have to make a meal plan which includes you daily needs. Your job just got easier!  Eating  properly everyday ensure you never miss out on refueling. Your body is constantly burning the fuel it needs and metabolism never slows down. So what are you waiting for?

Don’t Forget These Though

It can be easy to forget other important points when always thinking about macro’s. Fibre and water both are crucial to your diet, health and fitness. Including enough vegetables in your meal plan will not only keep you fuller but help in maintaining a balance in your hormones. Remember this folks, hormones are the key holders for every function in your body. Those buggers pretty much regulate everything. So in order to activate your “fat burn mode” you would require the balancing of all your hormones (guy or girl). Without having to get into science mumbo jumbo (that’s for another article), macro’s + green veggies provide everything your body needs to make sure no one going out of whack.

Water if your best friend. From clearing your gut to deciding the quality of your skin, everything happens in the presence of water. So lacking in enough water will slow down any positive result you’re working hard for. Some people say cutting out a few of those sugary drinks is enough to see changes. I say, cut ’em all out and see how magnificent you feel now.

The Bottom Line

When you over eat anything, it will be stored as fat. When you under eat (not fuelling your body properly)  the body goes into “starvation mode” and stores what you feed it. Under eating any of the important macro’s for a prolonged time can upset your metabolism and cause this starvation mode to turn on. To make sure it stays off, you can constantly feed the body what it needs and maintain a normal (constant) metabolism.  You can increase your metabolism by eating smaller meals throughout the day and eating enough of what your body need.

Start planning you goals and smashing those targets!